Another one to watch for

So I thought that since I started off this week with a post about an upcoming book that I just can't wait for, I would just go ahead and make this whole week about some of the upcoming books that I'm desperate to get my grubby hands on. 

Today is Mo Hayder day. Yep. Skin, the upcoming Jack Caffery book is due out in the UK on March 26 and I have my copy pre-ordered. I've talked about Mo here and here, the first being a post I did back in the beginning about the differences between American and UK readers and the criticism that certain authors have garnered thanks to their very violent storylines, and the second being a post about my introduction to Hayder with Devil of Nanking, a book some people are forever reminding me has scarred them for life even though they really liked it. 

As I'm sure that I have pointed out before, there are a handful of overseas authors who I just must have asap, and that means not waiting for a US release to read them. Hayder is one of those and I am antsy for my copy of Skin. The promo material I read about Ritual, the previous Jack Caffery book, said that Hayder was referring to these as her Walking Man series. Now, the Walking Man was a small character in Ritual who has a big impact on Jack, freshly transferred to Bristol and teamed up with a police diver with her own issues. I'm really anxious to see what's going to happen to both Jack and Flea next. 

Here's a bit about what's coming in Skin, from Mo Hayder's site:

When the decomposed body of a young woman is found by near railway tracks just outside Bristol one hot May morning, all indications are that she's committed suicide. That's how the police want it too; all neatly squared and tidied away. But DI Jack Caffery is not so sure. He is on the trail of someone predatory, someone who hides in the shadows and can slip into houses unseen. And for the first time in a very long time, he feels scared. Police Diver Flea Marley is working alongside Caffery. Having come to terms with the loss of her parents, and with the traumas of her past safely behind her, she's beginning to wonder whether their relationship could go beyond the professional. And then she finds something that changes everything. Not only is it far too close to home for comfort - but it's so horrifying that she knows that nothing will ever be the same again. And that this time, no one - not even Caffery - can help her ...

No official word yet on the US release of Skin, but I'm guessing it will be sometime this fall. Readers looking for edge your seat suspense should definitely check out Hayder. Devil of Nanking and Pig Island are both stand-alones and the Jack Caffery series is as follows: 

Birdman

The Treatment

Ritual

Skin

Ritual can be read without having read the previous books in the series, but it looks as though Skin takes place just days after Ritual, so you have to read those two in sequence. Also, if you've read Birdman and Treatment, then you get a better feel for Caffery himself. 

Note that these books are not for the squeamish! Of all of them, I have heard critics say that they found Birdman especially disturbing and as I said earlier, other readers that I've recommended Devil of Nanking to have said that that one is particularly gruesome. Personally, The Treatment is the one that I found particularly brutal in both content and subject matter. So be warned. I love them all, though. Hayder is brilliant and should have a HUGE fan base here in the states in my opinion. People just don't know what they're missing!

And, as always, I will post here the minute I have finished reading Skin so you'll know what I think.